Death's Dance
by strawberrynirvana
Summary: She could have sworn she saved an innocent man.
1. Chapter 1: Defying Death

"Masked mass murderer escapes from prison," Akali's lips whispered as she scanned the morning's headline. Her freshly awakened self could not process the words written on the paper, so she took another sip from her coffee cup. "The notorious killer fled his jail cell at approximately 3:00 AM after being charged with the death penalty." Akali read out to no one in particular. Her eyes opened more and more with shock with each written word. "Unfortunately, police cannot identify him because of his immovable metallic mask , but-" The phone's ringing cut off Akali's words. She jumped in her chair with surprise and huffed in annoyance when she realized a splash of coffee had spilled over the side of her cup. Akali felt the slightest twinge of guilt as she slammed her coffee cup against the table in a frustrated manner. Her clumsy, long legs managed to carry her sleepy body to the phone.

"Hello?" Akali drawled into the phone's receiver. She rubbed her eyes in hopes that it would somehow wake her up even more.

"Akali?!" Akali could practically feel the little yordle's energy travel through the phone, yet it didn't make her smile as it usually did. Instead, it made her stomach feel uneasy, and an unsettling feeling washed over Akali.

"Yes, Kennen? Is something wrong?!" She grabbed the phone with both hands with worry as she awaited his response.

"Did you read this morning's paper yet?!" The alarm in Kennen's voice was evident.

"I was just reading the front page and then you suddenly called me. Is something wrong?" She frowned into the phone. The air was filled with dread, a feeling Akali did not like.

"He...has...escaped!" Kennen panted out and began hyperventilating. "Shen is not going to be happy when he reads today's newspaper! My God, and we were living so peacefully! I told Shen to leave him in the most secure jail cell in the-"

"Kennen! Calm down!" Akali yelled into the phone. After a minute of hearing Kennen's heavy breathing, she asked, "Who escaped? I didn't have a chance to read that part of the newspaper yet!"

"Read it," was Kennen's only response. Akali hastily rushed over to her dining table, where the coffee-stained newspaper laid. She hunched over the dining table and gathered her crumpled paper in front of her. Her eyes frantically skimmed the rest of the article in search for a name. "Unfortunately, police cannot identify him because of his immovable metallic mask, but the killer's most definitely back with a lust to kill. He calls himself..." Akali's eyes immediately opened wide as she collapsed onto her chair. "No... It can't be..." The hand holding the phone began to shake. She barely heard Kennen's voice as the phone slipped from her hand and collided with the floor.

Akali grasped the newspaper with both hands with a cold sweat and reread the same name a million times. "It's impossible. There's no way..." The newspaper floated to the floor. Akali felt sick and weak. She felt as if she would faint, because what she thought was impossible had just happened.

She felt the world slow down, if not stop completely as she read the three letter name.

"Zed...is back?"

* * *

**This fanfiction will be OOC (out of character) and the back stories of the champions will not follow their original lores. You've been thusly warned.**

**I usually stick to reading fanfiction and let the more skilled writers create their magic, but I feel as if there's not enough Akali x Zed ships. c: So instead, I decided to write this story. I guess it will be rated T later on. But for now, I'll keep it PG. I hope you enjoy the story though! ;P**

**Review if you want to! c; And thanks for reading! c:**


	2. Chapter 2: Bleeding Out

Akali's mind was in a jumbled frenzy as she grabbed her bag and headed over to the hospital, where a list of patients was waiting for her. The steady _clickity-clack_ of her heels against the hard pavement did little to alleviate her mind. Every time she thought of his name, pangs of anger, scorn, fear, and misery hit her.

_Zed has escaped from prison._ It was the only thought that Akali could remember when she finally stepped into the cold air of the hospital. Her trembling legs somehow managed to lead her to the elevator and into her solitary office, where she shrugged off her winter clothes and put on her pristine nurse's coat. A new day meant a new list of patients that she had to attend to. Being near the sick didn't bother Akali because she liked helping people. If there was an opportunity to help someone, she was one to seize it. Besides, a busy day of work meant that her mind would be off of _him. _Unfortunately, that was not the case. The second she stepped out of the room, Shen had just happened to be walking by to operate on a patient.

"Hey Akali!" Shen greeted her with a smile. Akali's eyebrows knit in confusion. Perhaps he was smiling because he had not heard of the Shadow Master. Just the thought of him made Akali's stomach turn with unease. Desperate to avoid the topic, Akali greeted him hastily, but to no avail.

"Hi." Her lips turned tightly into a very forced smile. "Busy with another operation, I see? I'd hate to bother you, so I'll just go ahead and attend to my own patients-" She had taken a few steps forward, so her back was facing Shen. The iron grip on her elbow, however, stopped her from moving forward.

"I heard about what happened to Zed," Shen whispered lowly. Cold shivers ran down Akali's spine at the mention of his name, but she barely managed to put on a passive expression. "What of it?" was all that she dared to say. The hold on her elbow tightened.

"Do not try and kill him." The seriousness in Shen's voice made her flinch as she pried away from his vice-like grip, still not meeting Shen's eyes.

"Kill him? Why would I kill him?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. She didn't need to turn around to know the disappointing expression on Shen's face. "I have neither a need nor want to see him dead."

"We both know that's a lie." His words rang out clearly through Akali's mind. She knew her voice would betray her strong emotions, so she slowly walked away from Shen. "Good luck on your next operation, Doctor," she called out to Shen.

_How could I not want to kill him?_

* * *

The day of work was an utter mess. The news of Zed lingered on her mind, no matter how hard she tried to push the thought of him back into the deepest corners of her mind, and it was evident through her patients. She either administered shots too roughly, or tied the rubber sash used for blood tests too tightly. Her patients had to suffer her own inability to focus on her work. She dug her hands deep into the pockets of her coat and tried to focus on the falling snow, yet again, Akali failed to push every and all thought of Zed from her mind.

"Goddamned bastard... How dare he escape?" Akali muttered to herself angrily. Thankfully, no one was walking on the streets at this time of night to hear her angry episodes or they'd question her ability to work as a nurse. The anger boiled underneath her skin, and it built up until she stopped and yelled to the dark and silent sky, "Damn you, you bastard! You'd better turn yourself in before I personally hunt you down myself!" Her breathing was erratic from her screaming, but she had to admit that it made her feel a lot better. Akali turned her head up to the night sky and felt snowflakes melting on her skin. Even she, as stressed and anxious as she, cherished the simple joy of walking peacefully home on a snowy, dark night. She gathered her sanity and proceeded home.

Or, at least she would have if she hadn't heard the sounds of painful grunting in a nearby alleyway. Akali, without any hesitation or fear, approached the alley. The sounds of punching and excruciating yells grew louder with each step, yet it didn't stop Akali. She fearlessly sauntered into the alley, where she witnessed four hoodlums kicking an already unconscious figure.

"Hey!" She yelled without a second thought. All of their attention was now focused on her feminine figure. The hungry look in their eyes was not unnoticed by Akali as her eyes steeled, eager for a fight. The four men stepped towards her, confident that their libido would be satisfied today. Their pace increased exponentially and they charged straight for Akali, but she didn't run. In fact, she stood still and observed them. One had a slight limp in his left leg. Another's heart beat was abnormally quick, which meant he clearly hadn't exercised recently. The two others were just...clumsy. They were tripping on each other's feet, eager for Akali. But she knew better. As soon as the man with limp lunged for her, she easily sidestepped him and smashed her knee into his left knee, successfully immobilizing him. He yelped with pain and fell to the snowy ground like a meteor, clutching his awkwardly bent knee. Akali grabbed the arm of the man with the erratic heart beat and spun him like a whirlwind. While he was spinning, she jumped up and kneed his face in mid air.

_Two down. Two more idiots to go. _Akali blew a piece of her hair from her eye. The two fumbling men left standing surrounded her from all directions. She waited for an opportunity to take out both of them simultaneously because the fight these men had put up was not exactly challenging. The opportunity presented itself when both men, on opposite directions of her, lunged head first for her. Akali looked up to the sky and sighed with boredom as she took a step forward, causing the men to crash head to head with each other.

"And that's kicking your asses!" She smiled cheekily. The strained groans behind her brought her back from her victorious daze, and she quickly knelt down beside the man to look at the damage. His nose was twisted at an unpleasant angle, and his midriff suffered many lacerations, as did his back and legs. Overall, he was lucky to be alive. Akali knew that he would not survive without immediate medical attention. Although he was unconscious, Akali couldn't help but admire his handsome features. His hair was pitch black like the shadows of the night. His cheeks, although matted with blood, were perfect, and it was evident that he was very built and chiseled. But the scar that ran along his left eye intrigued her the most. It was an involuntary action that led her to trace a pointer down the scar.

"Definitely a wound from a knife," Akali murmured to herself.

A cough left his lips abruptly, which caused Akali to wake up from her ruse and immediately pull her hand back to safety. She shook her head to clear her mind of the various things she'd like to do to this stranger, and stood up.

_How am I going to bring him back home? _Akali tapped her chin with her pointer pensively and looked up once again to the sky. She let out a sigh of annoyance when her mind thought of nothing. "Well, I hope I'm strong enough to carry him home." Akali wrapped his arm around her neck, and attempted to waddle home with a rather heavy stranger leaning on her side.

* * *

**The summary should now officially make sense! :DD LOL**

**Read, review, and most importantly, enjoy! c; (if you can even tolerate my writing)**


	3. Chapter 3: Secrets

Akali's eyes rested upon the injured stranger she had brought home who was now silently sleeping on her living room couch. His body was almost entirely covered in bandages, with little bits of blood spotting them. Somehow, after clumsily bringing him home, Akali had managed to strip him of his alarmingly colorless clothes, though she had to muster all of her restraint to not look at his region as she cleaned and bandaged his many wounds. After she had treated him thoroughly, she threw her own clothes, which were drenched in his blood, into the washing machine.

_Who is he?_ Akali laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them. She watched him patiently and intently from afar for any signs of movement. _He could be a murderer. He might murder me in my sleep. _Her eyes traveled up and down the man's serene face. _But he looks so peaceful sleeping. Could a murderer's sleeping face be that angelic? _ Despite all her optimistic thoughts about the sleeping stranger's identity, the nasty scar along his left eye made Akali's stomach turn unpleasantly to no end. Instead of sitting in the kitchen ogling the gorgeous man's body, she stood up and walked over to the phone. It was her duty as a best friend to tell Shen about the events of her night. Surely, Shen wouldn't disprove of Akali taking in a _very_ fine injured man to heal his wounds and take care of him. Akali confidently dialed in Shen's number into the phone and lifted it up to her ear.

"Hello?" Shen's strong voice bellowed through the phone.

"Shen." Akali's voice was steady. "I found a man almost beat to death by four men tonight," she began with conviction, yet with each word she spoke, a pit grew in her stomach, leading her to verbally diarrhea. "I brought him home to heal his wounds because it was snowing tonight and I couldn't leave him out there to die. The hospital was too far, so if I had brought him there, he wouldn't have made the trip, especially since I was walking, and he was bleeding all over, so I panicked and brought him to my apartment. So right now, he's-"

"Stop." Akali went mute by his command, thankful that she didn't need to blab on. "He's inside your home?!" The angry tone in Shen's voice made the pit triple in size.

"Yes," she quietly replied. "But he's just-"

"Akali, you invited a stranger inside your home who you know nothing about. What if he murders you in your sleep or, god forbid, _rapes_ you? What then?!" She couldn't conjure any voice to speak, weak or strong. Perhaps it had locked itself away temporarily from fear of Shen's thundering and disappointed voice.

"B-but he looks so innocent." Her head turned to gaze at the sleeping stranger on her sofa. "There's no way he will do any of those things! And if he does, you know I can easily snap his neck!"

"I don't want to give anyone an opportunity to hurt you ever again."

"Shen, I'm a grown woman, god damn it! I can handle myself! Who do you think rendered all four of those men unconscious? Besides, I highly doubt he's a murderer or a rapist!"

"You're too trusting for your own good. Remember the last time we dared to trust a stranger? Must I mention _Zed?!_" Shen countered her with ease, bringing up a subject that he knew would render Akali speechless and weak.

"I was just trying to-"

"Help?! If you were trying to help him and yourself, you would have told someone else and let them deal with him! I don't want you letting in strangers from fear of you getting hurt!" Although Akali knew Shen was doing this for her safety, an unfamiliar rage welled up within her at his words, and she felt an increasing desire to kill something.

"I was just trying to do my fucking job! I'm a nurse, alright Shen? It is my _job_ to help those who are wounded, whether they're Noxian, Demacian, or Ionian! I must fulfill my duty to heal any and all injured, no matter the sacrifices I must make! That was the oath I pledged when I became a nurse! This is _why_ I became a nurse. To help people, not to let them bleed to death in deserted alleyways! I can't do that to _anyone_, Shen. You know that better than I do! How could I call myself a nurse if I just stood there like an innocent bystander and let someone else tend to his wounds, knowing I _myself_ had the same training to save him?!" Her chest rose and fell rapidly after her entire tirade, but she was nowhere close to being finished. "You're a doctor, Shen. Did you not pledge the same oath I did, all those months ago? Did you not pledge to help the sick, regardless of their backgrounds?" Akali huffed out a sarcastic and condescending sigh for a dramatic measure. "I thought if anyone could understand my reason for taking in a wounded person, it'd be you. If you can't understand my duty to help others, then I'm sorry for calling and bothering you."

Akali promptly hung up the phone and slammed it down on the kitchen counter, seething with anger. How could Shen not understand her perspective? Was it not her duty to help the sick? He was a doctor himself, for Christ's sake! Akali marched over to her table, plopped down on a chair, and buried her face into her elbow. Her eyes grew misty as tears began to pool onto the crevice of her elbow. Why couldn't Shen understand? Was he not a doctor like her, sworn to help others, _just_ like her? So why couldn't he empathize with her? The tears continuously cascaded down her cheeks as she silently sobbed to herself.

Suddenly, a hand on her shoulder nudged her gently. Akali's first reflex was to jump up from the chair and pin the person to the wall, rendering him immobile. Her eyes widened considerably when she realized that she had attacked the man that had just been sleeping on her couch. His face was contorted with pain as more blood began to stain his bandages. She released the choke hold she had on his neck and apologized furiously.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Akali forced the stranger to lean on her side as she walked to the couch and rested him on it. "I'm so sorry. I was just so stressed that I completely forgot I took you home to take care of you! It was not in my intention to hurt you even more!" She hurriedly ran into the kitchen to get more bandages, then zipped back to the stranger who was sitting obediently on the couch. She knelt between his legs, forgetting entirely that he was a complete stranger, to survey his wounds, which she herself had re-opened.

_And I call myself a nurse. What a shameful nurse I am to cause more harm than help!_

His eyes glistened with amusement as her hands attempted to circle his abdomen with bandages to stop the bleeding. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment and she refused to make any eye contact with him. "It was my fault. I'm truly very sorry that I hurt you! I just wasn't thinking, and-" His hands moved to grab her wrists gently, stopping her from closing his wound. As if on cue, her heart beat bounced against her rib cage violently.

"It's alright," came his throaty and curt reply. His voice was so deep and mysterious that Akali lost all feeling within her body, though many thoughts of ravaging him right on the couch filled her mind. Afraid and too surprised to move, Akali stared at the floor as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world. She could barely register one of his hands leaving her wrist to lift up her chin so that her eyes directly met his own.

"Your eyes... They're red," Akali said breathlessly without thinking, getting lost under his own heated gaze. _Like blood,_ she silently mused to herself.

"And your eyes are filled with tears," the man coolly replied. He brushed a thumb under her eyes to flick away the lingering tears on her cheeks. "Are you alright, miss?" Nothing could stop her inward giggling and profuse blush when she heard "miss."

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, but you're still bleeding, so just let me finish healing yo-" She shook off the hand that was holding her wrist and attempted to stand up, but he gripped her wrist again.

"Thank you for providing me with shelter and care." His eyes held no lie as he spoke to her. "You're welcome," was all Akali could say as she finished bandaging him. After she was done she laid him down on the couch and sat down on the armrest beside his head.

"How did you ward off the men?"

"Their impatience led to their downfall. I simply exploited their weaknesses and knocked them out," Akali answered, thinking back to her victorious battle. The man smiled at her. "A sexy woman capable of fighting _and_ healing right next to me. I must be in Heaven," he said coyly, amused when Akali turned the other way to hide her blush. Even though every fiber of his being consistently caused an involuntary blush that glowed brightly on her cheeks, Akali knew she had to ask.

"Who are you?" The three words hung dead in the tense air, but his eyes did not falter a bit as they stared lazily at the ceiling.

"I do not know." Her breathing stopped all together as the dreadful silence began to suffocate her. His mouth opened again to speak. "I believe the men who attacked me back there were trying to kill me out of pure enjoyment and satisfaction. I hypothesize that they hit my head, and as a result I cannot remember anything." Akali wanted nothing more than to give him a safe and warm hug, but she restrained herself as he continued his recollection. "Unfortunately I was unable to fight because I was already tired from running." His blood red eyes glowed strongly under the dim lights. It made Akali's insides lurch with both fear and lust.

_Stop it,_ she scolded herself, as there were much more important things to think about. "What were you trying to run away from?" she asked, not knowing why she was afraid of the answer. His eyebrows furrowed in an attempt to remember things about his forgotten past. His eyes seemed to grow a darker shade of red, almost like maroon, as he dug deeper into his staggering memory. Finally, after about five minutes, the strained expression plastered on his face changed to that of defeat. His eyes shifted to meet hers, and spoke. "Again, I do not know." Needless to say, Akali was disappointed from having obtained almost no information about this amnesia-ridden man. Her eyes instinctively drifted to the floor, clueless of what to do with this man on her couch.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. Thank you for your hospitality, but I should really leave before I cause further trouble," the man said, breaking the silence. He made a futile struggle to rise from the couch without reopening his wounds, which triggered the nursing side of Akali. She gently, albeit forcefully pushed his upper body back down onto the sofa.

"You are not going anywhere with those wounds of yours." _That I stupidly reopened._ "You're still bleeding, and your body needs time to heal from your multiple injuries."

"But I-"

"No but's. I am not abandoning a man with severe amnesia in a blizzard." As if to emphasize Akali's point, a loud blizzard wind whistled through the house. "If you go out there in your condition, you're asking for your own death. A slow and cold one, too," Akali argued. Her mouth opened in an effort to convince him more stay, but his light laughter abruptly cut her off. Yet again, a light blush dusted her pale cheeks as she tried to figure out the reason for his laughter.

"Alright, alright. You've made your point, woman," he managed to say between laughs. "I'll stay, provided that you don't worry so much about me." The corners of Akali's lips turned into a smile, and she replied, "Deal." As the stranger's laughs gradually died down, he asked her, "What do I call you?"

"You may call me Akali." It soon dawned upon her that this man needed a name that she could call him by. "What should I call you?"

"You may call me Master," the man joked, mimicking her previous response. "You must dote on me and cater to my every whim." A girly giggle left her lips that surprised Akali herself. Since when did she giggle like _that?_ "I'm serious! You need a name that people can call you!"

"Uh... I do not know of any good names," was his clueless reply. A couple of names left Akali's lips. "Isaac? Gabriel? Clark? Bill? Adrian?" Each name was met with a face of disgust and a "no thank you."

"Greg, Louis, Rob, Z-" Akali bit her tongue before she finished saying that dreadful name. _That bastard... _Why was he still on her mind almost twelve hours later?

"Z. I like that letter," the man replied. "Do you know any names that begin with z?" The innocent look he gave her nearly made Akali's heart stop from cuteness. "Well," she cleared her throat to think straight, "off the top of my head, I can think of Zachary, Zane, Zevach-"

"Zevach," he cut her off, but Akali didn't mind at all. "Zevach," he repeated, testing out the name on his tongue. "I like that name," he murmured to himself. "It gives me a sense of warmth," he said to the ceiling. "I sound crazy, don't I?" He laughed heartily, Akali joining in soon after.

"Well, strange man that I found in an alleyway bleeding to death, your name is now Zevach."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! Welp, there you have it folks, the meeting of Akali and Zevach (aka the "strange man found in an alleyway bleeding to death"). c: Yay. I actually spent quite a few hours brainstorming and writing this, but it's much longer than the other two chapters.**

**Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! c: Feel free to review, as it does help me improve my writing.**

**Have a great sunshiny day!**


	4. Chapter 4: Don't You Remember

She strolled through the gardens of the temple, enjoying the chill of the wind. It was a beautiful day to appreciate the world outside the Kinkou temple doors. Even the Kinkou monks had encouraged her to venture the temple grounds. Akali came across a wide meadow filled with grass and a motley flower bed she had never seen before. Naturally, her first instinct was to drop down onto the grass and roll around it like a carefree child. Akali worried about tomorrow, for it would be the day she would officially obtain the title as the Fist of Shadows. She laced her fingers behind her head and decided to watch the fluffy clouds float by, successfully forgetting her duties.

Being that she was the only child in her family, Akali was forced to follow the path of a warrior, just like her parents. The training her mother put her through to be the next successor of the title was grueling, and Akali had hated every second of it. Her acrimony towards her training was eventually directed at her mother when Akali realized that her mother didn't care about her well-being; all she wanted was the honor of possessing the title twice in her family. Akali was just a tool, and discipline was beat into her mind daily as a reminder. Each morning, Akali was risen at the break of dawn and trained until her knuckles bled.

"We must do that which must be done," Akali repeated to herself as she bandaged the day's worth of scrapes, cuts, and wounds. "I must become the Fist of Shadows to appease my mother for good and make dad proud."

Several times she had wanted to quit, but her father, who was a Kinkou warrior, had encouraged her to continue. Unlike the loathing towards her mother, Akali loved the man who constantly showed his fatherly affection by giving her beautiful flowers on rainy days or souvenirs from his travel. It was because of him that she persevered through the torture.

Akali had suffered more than a decade of training, but her misery was rewarded with the recognition of the Kinkou Order. She was promptly accepted into the Order. It was there that she met Kennen and Shen. The inseparable trio did almost everything together for a good three years, when times were peaceful after _that_ incident. Akali couldn't help but think about the orphaned ninja who had been cast off from temple grounds. Zed was his name. The masters had encouraged their students to befriend him. It took a painstaking effort for Akali to open up to him as did Shen and Kennen, especially since every feature on his face was always hidden from view. The mask concealed everything so thoroughly that sometimes Akali questioned if Zed was an actual human. There was never a time Zed went out in public unmasked, so the most she could see was the unnatural bright red gleam that cloaked his eyes. His visor had always unnerved Akali. To be fair, his entire brooding personality had unnerved everyone in the temple, but that didn't change the fact that they were (forcefully) friends. Her mind wandered off to the time Zed had picked a flower for her.

_"I, uh, saw this really nice flower in the meadow, and I thought it was a shame that said flower would eventually wither and die, so I brought it for you to see before, you know, it withered and died," Zed droned awkwardly in his usual metallic voice. He had approached her during her lunch hour, and she put down her bowl to gently take the flower. It indeed was a beautiful flower. It had teardrop-shaped petals that overlapped beautifully and a bright yellow center. Akali couldn't help but smell it._

_"It's beautiful," she said with awe. His body awkwardly tensed, as if he hadn't expected her to compliment the flower._

_"U-uh. Master told me it was a magnolia." _

_"A magnolia, huh?" She rolled the stem between her thumb and pointer, giving her a better view of the entire flower. "Why did you bring this to me?"_

_Zed coughed abruptly, not knowing what to say. "B-because I saw the flower in the m-meadow and I thought it was pretty like y-" His stammering stopped, as he thanked the heavens that he didn't finish his sentence._

_"You _like_ me, don't you?!" Akali accused amusingly. If Zed wasn't wearing that mask, she was sure he was blushing madly._

_"No I don't!" He tried to defend. Akali wore an expression of determination to force Zed to admit his infatuation for her._

_"Yes you do!"_

_"Yeah, well..." His mind struggled to find something to say, so he blurted out something that would nearly have gotten him killed. "You like Shen!"_

_Akali's face turned to stone, and the flower fell from her fingers. __"What?!" She screeched, slamming her palms against the wooden table. Upon seeing her gradually growing angry face, Zed followed his gut instinct and ran for his life, with a very angry Akali chasing after him._

Akali laughed at the memory. It had hurt her to no end when news of his use of the forbidden ways had spread. When she had heard, she felt betrayed, but Zed was forgotten in time.

She let out a troubled sigh, though the wind quickly dissipated her irritation. Akali twirled her kamas into the air for fun. Today, her father, along with all the other warriors, was in the temple meditating with the monks. Perhaps he could bring another souvenir for her! As for her mother, she didn't really care.

* * *

It began when a little boy came running into the field, calling out her name, for in that moment, her day would be engulfed by blood, tears, and pain. When he finally spotted her, he breathlessly said, "The temple is under attack!" the boy cried out. Akali's ears instantly perked up as she scrambled from the grass. _Father._ "Th-They've already killed a master! We need you to help fight them off!"

Akali didn't need to be told a second time. She danced through the gardens as nimble as a shadow with only one concern on her mind. _Father is a warrior. He's survived countless battles. He will live_. The sound of blades clashing penetrated her ear as she approached the temple. Bright green eyes scanned the dark uniforms that the intruders adorned.

_Which country do these invaders hail from? _These uniforms were not from any tribes that Akali knew of; it seemed much more recent. Perhaps a newly established clan? _Why would they pick a fight with the Kinkou Order? Are they asking for death?_

The trespassers had sinister gleams in their eyes that seemed to grow more intense as they saw Akali. However, she remained undaunted and brandished her kamas. Quicker than anyone of those fools could process, Akali sprinted faster than lightning from person to person, driving her weapons into any visible beating heart. She could feel the wind whistling in her ear. The intruders who witnessed her velocity and ferocity gulped as they saw the intention to kill within her eyes.

_Get out of my way!_ She thought, gutting open the abdomen of each foolish enemy that dared to challenge her. With each person she slew, the apprehension grew. Only the sight of her father alive and well could ease her worry, even if it meant she had to tear apart the temple brick by brick to find him. Determined to find her father at any cost, Akali didn't notice the trail of bodies she had left as she went on a rampage.

* * *

She had slaughtered countless of people on each level of the temple, only to find that her father was not there. By the time she reached the top of the temple, Akali had already prayed to some unknown holy deity for her father's safety.

It wasn't the corpses of monks and warriors littered on the floor that disturbed her, or the ruthless fashion in which they were killed. In fact, it was the mastermind behind the storming of the temple who made her shiver with unease, a person who should have never came back.

"_Zed_," she hissed, eyes narrowing. "_You're_ the bastard behind this?!" Her voice thundered through the walls, and a betrayed emotion unwillingly settled in her stomach. The man under the mask turned around to greet the raging fire within Akali's eyes.

"Akali," he said with his metallic voice. The smiling tone in his voice oozed with maliciousness and evil. "I'm _home._" She wanted nothing more than to thrust her kama into that _sick_ bastard's heart.

"How _dare_ you return Zed, after your banishment!" An aura of pure rage emanated from Akali; her indignant words alone could make the temple quake. "How can you come back after what you did?!" The grip on her kamas tightened as Akali remembered his betrayal to her and the temple. " You've stupidly damned yourself to an eternity of darkness and seclusion!"

"Damned?" he drawled out. "Damned," he repeated distastefully. "No, I don't think that's the word I would use." He lifted up a finger and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Blessed. I'd use the word blessed."

"You _asshole_," she roared, and adeptly flung her kama at Zed's head. With an ever so slight step to the left, it barely grazed the side of his mask. It clattered to the ground behind Zed uselessly.

"Your coronation," Zed called out to her, liking the way she tensed at the subject. "It's tomorrow, is it not?" The intense heat from the glare she gave him was enough to rival that of the sun.

"Why would such a thing concern you?" Akali bitterly answered, a nerve in her neck bulging out.

"It doesn't," he replied nonchalantly. "But by the time this day is through, this temple will cease to exist, as will your-"

Kama ready in hand, Akali impulsively charged towards Zed, longing to see his blood staining the temple ground. She lusted to see him _dead. _The formidable power and speed with which she flew was enough to petrify the most experienced warrior. Akali positioned her upper body parallel to the floor, thereby minimizing the amount of friction the air created against her body and allowing her to achieve maximum speed. Upon reaching Zed, she lunged and slashed her kama in a crescent formation to behead him, but the attack merely passed through him.

_A shadow,_ she cursed under her breath.

Blinded by her emotions, Akali had failed to realize that Zed conjured a shadow at the last second and swapped places with it. Humiliation pervaded through her as she picked up the kama she had thrown earlier.

Akali couldn't help the uncontrolled shudder as Zed's howls of laughter reverberated through the temple. "I see you have not changed at all in the three years I've been gone," he barked out. "Still weak and feeble as ever."

Before Akali could bite down her rash tongue, she replied with a patronizing tone, "At least _I_ did not need to use the forbidden ways to gain power. You were weak and succumbed to the promise of power." The sound of his guffaws died down abruptly, causing an eerie silence within the temple walls. Akali clenched her kamas tightly, expecting an onslaught of attacks.

"The rules that prevented me from attaining true power have brainwashed you." He traced the edge of the shuriken in his hand. "The era of a new order has begun, and it will embrace the shadows."

"The Kinkou Order will do everything in its power to destroy you and your silly order," she replied with conviction. "It will bring balance to this world whether you like it or not."

Zed's reply made her freeze. "Balance is a _lie._" Akali had barely any time to react before several sharpened shurikens were sent her way. Instinctively, she flipped backwards to dodge the first few and stopped the rest with her kamas effortlessly. Her eyes couldn't follow the real Zed as he conjured several shadows to surround her, obscuring him from view.

"Poor Akali... Always helplessly stuck in the middle with absolutely no way of escaping," his shadows said in unison.

The world slowed down for Akali as each shadow hurled a shuriken at her. She danced through the shadows as shurikens buffeted her vision mercilessly and ungracefully placed a cloak of smoke on the floor to formulate a plan. Immediately, the shroud heightened her senses.

_It's impossible to kill shadows,_ she thought while weaving through the shurikens._ They'll just respawn unless..._ Under her camouflaging smoke, Akali scoured the floor for the Shadow Master. He was sitting on a pile of dead monks, waiting for the grande finale when his shadows would have killed Akali. Sucking in a deep breath out of nervousness, Akali dashed from the smoke, abandoning the comfort and safety of her shroud. It bothered her how Zed wasn't squirming in his makeshift throne of cadavers.

_Perhaps another shadow?_ Impossible. Unlike his shadows, he had actual color to him.

Ready to plunge her kamas into his heart, she jumped into the air and came hurtling down to deal the killing blow.

"Ah, ah, ah..." his voice cruelly taunting her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. Her body immediately loosened, losing all of her momentum and dropping to the ground gracefully. Zed snapped his fingers, and the shuffling of heavy footsteps made Akali turn. The scene before her made her want to vomit.

"_Father!"_ she cried, witnessing the shadows drag her almost dead father into the room. His armor, tarnished with blood and other filth, was dented in every spot imaginable, and lesions spotted his pale skin. As desperately as she tried to run to him, Zed brutally twisted her arms backwards, disarming and incapacitating her.

"Zed, let me go!" She pleaded, not caring how pitiful and weak she sounded, and tried to yank her arms away from his grasp. His crippling hold on her tightened and rivulets of tears spilled from her bright eyes.

"A...Akali," her father tried to say, but a shadow silenced him by lightly grazing his neck with its blade. Beads of blood gushed from the gash.

"_No!"_ Her shrill screams pierced the dim air. She felt Zed move behind her, and helplessly watched the shadows surround her father. "_Dad!_" All hope had forsaken her when she realized there was no way of saving him. The man she had looked up to, endured her training for, was being savagely tortured right in front of her, and she was too defenseless to do anything against the Master of Shadows.

"Zed. Let him go!" Her voice cracked as she ineffectively convinced him. "No," was his simple, yet dismal reply.

Sobs wracked her body uncontrollably, yet she shouted at him vehemently. "_Why_ are you doing this?!"

"Because I've always longed to see the invulnerable and pure Akali shatter into pathetic pieces," Zed laughed maniacally, making a slicing gesture on his neck to the shadows.

"_Zed!_" _  
_

"_Augh!_" Her father's throaty screams pierced her eardrums and Akali frantically freed herself from Zed's control. A large black hole in the ground engulfed Zed, dissipating the shadows that had enclosed her father. Time seemingly stood still. Akali's legs had never run so fast as she skidded to where her father lay dying. His body was enveloped in cuts and bruises. How could the man she thought to be invincible look so..._powerless_?

"_Father!_" Her shrieks were filled with pain, suffering, and heartache as she watched her supposedly indomitable father dying on the ground. Somehow, even while near death, her father's hands found her own and tightly held them in an effort to comfort his only child.

"D-do not worry about me, my daughter," he said lowly between frazzled breaths. Scrutinizing her father's battered body, Akali looked up at the still sunny sky and yelled with the bitter misery from she felt.

"Why take the life of an innocent man, huh?! Why not take _my _life instead?!" Akali shouted and pleaded to the sky, as if someone was listening to her. Her cries were unheard as the life in her father's body continued to dissolve. And all Akali could do was helplessly watch.

"Y-you have grown to be a fine young woman, and I am proud to call you my daughter." His chest heaved up and down as he coughed up blood. His life was hanging by a thread, and Akali knew it.

"F-father, you _must_ live! Y-you've yet to see me become the Fist of Shadow. To see me marry and witness my own children succeed the title, so please _don't die!_"

"I love you, my dear Akali," he said strongly considering his dying state, and his hands grew lax in hers. Upon seeing her father's lifeless, yet seemingly content, eyes stare back, Akali felt a part of her soul wither and die.

"D-dad?" She whispered gently, desperately wishing her father would wake up and deceive her like he had many times. Her hand flew to find any sign of a beating heart, but the nothingness she felt confirmed her worst fears.

_Is this a dream? Rather... a nightmare? _

Akali could not do anything but cling to her father's lifeless corpse, as if to grab any part of his soul. His armor glistened with his daughter's tears as Akali sobbed her heart out. No amount of training could prepare Akali's emotions as pangs of every emotion hit her body. Despondency, loneliness, desolation... Through the midst of her lamenting, light footsteps in the distance grew louder until Akali noticed her mother beside her.

"M-mother," she greeted sobbing, "d-dad is d..." She could not for the life of her say the word "dead." Perhaps it was because she was trying to deny his death.

Expecting comforting words, her mother's warrior voice monotonously said, "The weak always die first."

It was at that moment Akali had stopped to think, really _think_. The only reason she had put up with her mother's training to become the next Fist of Shadow was because of her father, who was one of the rare ups to her generally down life. What had more than a decade of training amounted to? In the end, she still failed to save the person she loved dearly. What did the title "Fist of Shadow" even mean to her anymore? Her only incentive all these years was to make her father proud, but now that he was gone, _why was she still here?_

In a brusque manner, Akali wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stood up, staring at her father's body for the final time. Then, she gave her back to her mother and headed towards the door to leave.

"Where are you going, Akali?" that woman dared to ask. Akali knew if she looked into her mother's eyes, she'd lose control of her wrath completely.

"I'm leaving." Her mother scoffed in response.

"No, you are most certainly not. You will stay and succeed my-"

"_No._" The word hung still in the air until her mother finally registered what she meant. "The years of training I received have taught me nothing but to be a heartless, ruthless murderer. They have taught me how to shed blood mercilessly." The following chuckles from Akali were dry and sarcastic. "I am done being a killer. You can keep your beloved title, _mother_. It's insignificant to me now." Without another peep, Akali retrieved her forgotten kamas and walked through the door, abandoning her parents, the temple, and the past.

* * *

The battle had lasted from sunrise to sunset. A number of monks and students had escaped with the help of Shen and Kennen, but it was unfortunately very low in comparison to the number of casualties suffered. The sacred temple had been thoroughly plundered by Zed's minions, and the remaining survivors had only managed to salvage morsels of food. They were currently roaming the outskirts of the forests.

"What will the survivors do?" Akali asked her friends. After a day of sorrow and laborious battles, she could finally sit back and enjoy the sunset, like her father and she did. Just the thought of her father made tears sting in her tired eyes.

"They will rebuild the temple elsewhere, deep into the forest where no shadow can penetrate," they replied, making Akali forget her troubles.

"Good," was all Akali could say.

"And what are your plans for the future?" Shen questioned.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "I can't stay here though. Despite trying to be the Fist of Shadow, I long to help others, not hurt them." Her shoulders sagged at the thought of being alone in an unpredictable, bleak future. "You guys have brightened my life considerably, and for that, I will never forget you." The group hug that ensued was inevitable. Akali tearfully bid them farewell, and proceeded to walk the forest's paths alone.

"Who said we were going to let you go alone?" Shen called out to her, with a furious nodding of agreement from Kennen.

For the first time that day, the tears that rolled down her cheeks were from happiness.

* * *

Bright green eyes shot open as Akali awoke from her flashback. Sweat lingered on every part of her body, and her heart pounded audibly against her rib cage. Akali reached up to touch her face, which was sticky from her evaporated tears.

_I can't believe I reacted so strongly to a flashback. I must be going insane_, she thought as she realized she was safe in her bed. The moon glimmered high in the sky, and contrary to her chaotic flashback, the night was ominously tranquil. Not even the chirping of crickets could be heard. Trying to comfort herself with the reality of the present, she lied back down on her bed and drifted into a fitful slumber.

* * *

**Nom, nom, nom. ****Trying to describe a fight scene was extremely difficult because I had no idea how to interpret Zed and Akali's abilities realistically. Writing her father's death was even harder because I felt so evil for making Akali go through the pain of losing someone close. :c I would hate to lose anyone close, especially if I couldn't do anything to make their passing easier.**

**Longer than the last one. #improvement**

**I changed the lore of pretty much everyone (i.e. Akali, who has no control over her emotion in this story unlike in her original lore, met Shen, Kennen, and Zed through the Kinkou temple), but some things remained the same.**

**Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this chapter. x3 Have a great sunshiny day! c;**


	5. Chapter 5: Makes Me Wonder

When the sun had just risen and the bird were chirping madly, Akali woke up again. She stretched, yawned, and performed her daily morning tasks. Sluggishly, she entered her kitchen, where just a day ago she had received the horrible news about Zed. Akali reached over to switch on the coffee brewer.

_Oh wait. I need coffee beans first._ Lazily, her hand felt around the counter behind her, where her bag of coffee beans usually was, only this morning it wasn't there. Akali rubbed her eyes to believe what she saw, rather what she _didn't_ see. She paced over to her sink, where a clean coffee mug had been turned over to dry. Akali lifted up the mug, and a little pool of water that was trapped inside the cup dispersed. The events of the previous day suddenly flooded back into her brain as she remembered the nameless man who actually now had a name. Speaking of which, now that he was her responsibility, she would have to call in sick so she could keep an eye out for him.

_Zevach... __I wonder why he chose that name._ "_Zevach_," she let the name fall out on her tongue. _What a strangely odd yet sultry name. _Akali's eyes trailed over to the couch, where Zevach was supposed to be sleeping._  
_

_Oh god. _ Her heart palpitated rapidly against her chest from panic as she walked over to the couch where the man wasn't. _Oh shit! Did he run for it?! _In her state of panic, she failed to register the footsteps behind her.

"Holy mother of what is real!" Akali nearly screamed when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Her head whipped around to meet the red fiery gaze of Zevach, whose neck was cupped protectively in the very probable event that Akali attacked again. Akali felt the familiar heat on her cheeks as she noticed his defensive stance.

"I'm sorry Zevach, but for the love of god, do _not_ sneak up on me like that!" Her voice was gentle and demanding. "I'm not responsible for your injuries the next time you do that. Do you _want_ to end up in the hospi-" Her eyes widened. _The hospital! _She hadn't called in sick yet!

"Is something wrong?" Akali wanted nothing more than to just stand there and note how adorable Zevach's confused face was, but she had a call to make.

"Oh god, oh god," she chanted as she ran to the phone. "I completely forgot to call the hospital to tell them I was taking a week off!" The phone beeped with every number she frantically pressed, and she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hello-" a voice greeted, but Akali couldn't hear the rest of the sentence because the phone was snatched from her grip. Zevach quickly shut off the phone and put it on the table.

"Are you cancelling work on the account of my injured self?" He asked.

"Well, I certainly can't leave you home alone. I mean, you don't know where anything is in this town, so you can't very well buy food for yourself. And god forbid another gang attack you again! I'm not leaving you home alone." She reached for the phone, shooting Zevach a look that said, "I dare you."

"As much as I'd love to stay home alone with you, you actually have a job. There are injured and sick people in that hospital that need you, so be on your way Akali."

Akali loudly redialed the number to taunt Zevach. "Say what you must, I am staying home. Besides, this break will give me all the rest I need."

_And time away from Shen,_ she shuddered at the thought of him. Zevach helplessly plopped down on a dining chair, unable to conjure another reason as Akali called the hospital for a short vacation.

_What should I do for this entire week? I've never been so un-busy before_. The rumble from her stomach reminded her that she still hadn't eaten breakfast, so she awkwardly strolled over to the refrigerator, her stomach hungry for toast and eggs. The lack of food in her refrigerator was quite frightening, and her stomach protested by grumbling so conspicuously that even Zevach heard. Akali leaned in to the fridge to hide (and cool) her flaming cheeks. Zevach's throaty laughs made her heart flutter furiously. She inwardly composed herself and pushed herself out of the fridge.

"Since my fridge is severely lacking in anything edible, I have to go to the downtown and restock on items." Despite her stomach competing against her, Zevach seemed to understand. "I'll go change and leave in five minutes." She walked in the direction of her room, but caught herself midway. Akali turned around to see Zevach still sitting there, clueless of what to do. "Would you like to come with me?" She grinned, and he nodded furiously.

"If you're coming with me, we should wait another day for your wounds to fully heal. That will give me time to buy you new clothes, seeing as your current ones are tattered and bloody." She gestured to his shirtless self, who had traipsed around her house in nothing but bandages and Akali's old, stretched out sweat pants. "Tonight, I'll just order a pizza for the two of us. Sound good to you?"

He replied through his mute nod.

* * *

The downtown area was busy, and every few seconds, random strangers would accidentally bump Akali on her shoulder, although the collision probably hurt the stranger more than it did Akali. Since the sidewalk was packed with people walking in different directions, Akali had to squeeze along the windows of the shops with Zevach trailing closely behind her. The items within the stores' windows all looked so enticing, especially the ice cream parlor. Perhaps she would take Zevach there on a warmer day. She snuggled deeper into her scarf as a winter wind nipped at her cold, crisp cheeks.

After walking for what seemed like an hour, Akali recognized the familiar sight of her go-to grocery store.

"Bull's Eye?" Zevach read the name of the store aloud and scoffed dramatically. "This is where you buy your necessities? At a store called 'Bull's Eye'?" Akali merely rolled her eyes in response and walked in, peeling off her gloves. She picked up a basket from a pile and proceeded forward.

"A good friend of mine helps run this store. In fact, she moved here with her band from Demacia just a year ago. She's a very kind person." Akali wandered through the huge aisles of the market, dumping in jars of sauces, packets of ramen, and other food products into the basket. She turned around to make sure that Zevach hadn't ambled off and sighed with relief when she saw him looking at dual containers of Nutella.

"Hazelnut spread with skim milk and cocoa..." His voice tapered and his eyes narrowed with thought. "I do enjoy hazelnut," he said quietly. Witnessing the adorable, yet slightly disturbing, sight of Zevach falling in love with two jars of Nutella, Akali handed the basket to him, only to have Zevach stare at it like it was a deadly spider. "Put it in the basket if you want me to buy it," she said, looking away from the basket. The basket dipped under the new weight of the Nutella jars.

"Come on," she gestured by nodding her head, "I have to go pay for these." Zevach mutely followed Akali to the cashier, where the Maven of Strings worked. Her face lit up at the sight of Akali.

"Hey." A big smile spread involuntarily across Akali's face. "This is my friend, Zevach. Zevach, this is Sona," Akali introduced. Sona's head dipped with respect and civility. Zevach's mouth dropped open in shock. Sona's head tilted in confusion, wondering if she had done something to offend him.

"Y-you're _the_ Sona?!" Zevach's face lit up with glee and excitement. "The one from Pentakill?!" Sona exuded an aura of elation (contrary to Akali, who was currently trying to figure out how Zevach knew of Sona) as she vigorously nodded her head. "I am a huge fan of your work!"

An annoyed grunt from behind Akali caught her attention. She slowly twisted her body to see a huge line pile up behind her. Before Zevach could fan boy about Sona's band, she elbowed him hard and handed her basket to Sona. She waited for the price to appear on the screen, paid, and left, but not before wishing Sona fortune with her band.

* * *

"How did you know Sona was in Pentakill?" Akali asked Zevach as they headed home together on the same busy sidewalk. "I didn't even mention her band's name.

"A rather simple answer to a rather simple question," he replied with acuity. "The bag that I assumed was hers had a pin that said 'Pentakill' with a picture of an etwahl on it. Fortunately, I assumed correctly."

Akali scoffed. "You know what an etwahl is?"

"Of course I do. I'm a very polished and refined gentleman," he said bombastically, slightly smiling when Akali laughed.

An unnerving atmosphere washed upon the streets like smoke. Akali witnessed as people crossed over the sidewalk opposite to them, as if they too could sense the lugubrious ambiance. Suddenly, Akali felt cold, _really _cold, almost to the point of freezing. Her body uncontrollably shook, arousing Zevach's attention.

"Are you alright?" The concern in his eyes warmed Akali's heart, but the evil aura was still there. "No," she whispered fearfully.

_Curse me for being so weak._ Akali's eyes screwed shut as she tried to banish her fear, but despite her attempts, it permeated through her nerves, like a disease. Her lungs seemed to shrink as Akali futilely tried to steady her breath. Zevach slid his arm around her waist to support her body. Had she not felt so frail, she would've cherished the moment.

"_You fool!"_ A dissonant voice followed by a deafening explosion echoed through the streets, and people frantically scurried to vacate the sidewalks. Akali stood still on the sidewalk, ignoring the frantic footsteps of fearful folks and stared down at a crack in the sidewalk. In her dazed state, she didn't even realize that Zevach was calling her name.

_I know that voice. _

"Akali!" Zevach desperately grabbed her shoulders and tried to shake her out of her stupor. "We _have _to get out of here!" By the time she came to, the streets had been evacuated save Zevach and herself. Zevach stood in front of her possessively, keeping a firm grip on her elbow.

"Hello, _Akali_," a venomous voice greeted. Mustering her courage, she hesitantly nudged Zevach out of the way, letting her see the culprit of the pandemonium.

"_Syndra_," she hissed back, meeting the heated gaze of Syndra's dark purple irises. "To what do I owe your unfortunate and unpleasant company?" Her hands had somehow found Zevach's and she gripped it for support.

"Nothing much," Syndra said monotonously, looking at Zevach. "Just thought I'd drop in and see how the runaway was doing." She noted the contempt in her voice.

"I am doing _splendidly_," Akali said through clenched teeth. She could feel Zevach shift uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny of Syndra. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, unsure of what to do. Syndra's lips curved into a sneer as her eyes travelled back to Akali.

"You make very _interesting_ friends, Fist of Shadow," her empty voice purred with sarcasm and derision.

"As do you," was Akali's curt reply. She stepped past Syndra, dragging Zevach behind her. Her brusque and rigid steps slowly became steady and relaxed. She let go of Zevach's hand and raked her hair roughly. Zevach, who had been completely silent throughout Akali's awkward encounter, finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"May I ask you some questions regarding what just happened?" Akali's head bobbed up.

"Who was she?"

She shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her winter coat. How could she describe Syndra in the most unbiased way? "She's a good friend of my worst enemy." Her jaw tightened as her mind traced back to Zed.

"She seems rather…intimidating," Zevach said, struggling to find the right word. Akali's light laughter filled the grim air.

"Oh Zevach…" she sighed, footsteps crunching in the now falling snow. "She is _so_ much more than that."

* * *

**I honestly didn't know how to end this chapter, so I thought I'd end it on a good "Mean Girls" reference. Sorry if it's a bit short, but I'm starting to feel the weight of taking 3 AP's.**

**I've always imagined a scene where Akali and Zed went to the market and bonded in a very cute and adorable way. ;D Also anyone get the reference to the name of Sona's store? c;**

**Thanks for reading, and if you want to, review. Have a great sunshiny day!**


	6. Chapter 6: Lovegame

Akali's eyes begrudgingly fluttered open, and she found herself staring at the familiar sight of her green bedroom ceiling. The encounter with Syndra had seemed so surreal that Akali had grown physically exhausted from just trying to decipher whether it was a dream or not, prompting her to take a nap.

_Some nap_, she thought as her mind juggled between the choices of returning to her attempts of sleeping and getting out of bed to make dinner for Zevach and herself.

"Well I certainly can't leave him to starve," she debated to herself. Finally deciding to get out of bed, Akali gently lifted the blanket off of her, walked to the door, and opened it, only to hear the banging of pots and pans from the kitchen.

"Zevach?!" Her voice travelled down the stairwell, until another voice answered back with an urgent "Yes?!"

Akali raced down the steps careful not to trip over her own feet. She braced herself for a chaotic scene, but absolutely nothing could prepare her for the spectacle in front of her.

The sight of Zevach cooking in a pink frilly apron tied around his waist was enough to make Akali drop to the ground and laugh until her lungs burned for oxygen. Zevach, who towered over the stove cooking some unknown food, stared wordlessly at her guffawing self.

"W-what are you doing?" she said between hearty chuckles, grabbing a nearby chair for support.  
His eyes grew big as he innocently explained his actions. "Earlier today I was thinking how you've been so kind to me as of late and I wanted to repay you for your generous heart." He glanced at Akali, who was currently staggering backward from laughter. "I saw the cookbook on your counter and I decided it was worth a try..." he trailed off and looked back to the simmering pot, giving it a strong stir. It relinquished a new puff of steam.

Akali reached up to brush away a lingering tear and had the honest intention to recompose herself, but one glance at Zevach and she was done for.

"Zevach," Akali said once she had calmed down, "you have already brightened my life considerably. Before I found you, all I did was work every day. But you've shown me what fun is. That is enough payment already." Zevach stopped stirring and gave her a warm smile. Truthfully, Akali's words had stunned herself to the core as she tried to remember what it was exactly she said.

"Let me take over," she said, eager to break the silence. Her hands brushed over Zevach's fingers to take the wooden ladle from him and the contact created shocks that made Akali gasp quietly.

"What are you trying to make?" Akali began to ask, but the question answered itself as she peered into the pot and saw heavily overcooked spaghetti.

"Spaghetti?" she scoffed and stared at Zevach. He sheepishly shrugged and looked back at the pot, as if asking for instruction. For the next hour, Akali showed Zevach the ways of al dente spaghetti.

* * *

"And remember: don't overcook spaghetti!" Akali reminded, bringing both plates of overcooked spaghetti over to the dining table. "The key is al dente! Nothing more, nothing less!"

She twirled a strand of spaghetti around her fork, not exactly eager to taste the finished product on her plate. Akali quickly scooped it into her mouth, feeling the unusual texture of the spaghetti, which to her surprise, wasn't all that horrendous.

"Thank you for taking me in, Akali," Zevach politely thanked from across the table, but the large mouthful of spaghetti in her mouth prevented Akali from replying back.

"It's my pleasure, Zevach," she answered a few seconds later, unable to keep eye contact with his burning stare.

Before she could shovel in another spoonful of the soggy spaghetti, Zevach once again spoke, permanently interrupting the upbeat and peaceful ambience of the night.

"What shall I do?" The strands of noodles on her fork slipped from the tines and back into a massless pile on Akali's plate.

Akali's mind couldn't grasp his words. "What do you mean, Zevach?" she asked, stomach churning in fear for his answer. She delicately placed her fork on her plate, appetite gone.

"What shall I do in the future? You can't seriously intend to care for me for the rest of your life. You have a life, contrary to me. I can't even remember my legitimate name!" He slammed down the fork roughly against the table, voice on the verge of shouting. He strategically stared down at his plate of spaghetti. "Akali, I sincerely apologize for wasting your time, but I cannot stay here any long-"

Her reply was stone cold, enough to make Zevach calcify. "Shut up." Her heart palpitated rapidly from anger and betrayal. How could he just give up and abandon her like that? Was this all Akali could ever hope to experience, being abandoned and betrayed? Why couldn't the universe just let her be happy for once?! Was one _fucking_ time too much to ask for?

Zevach looked up to meet her furious eyes. "Remembering an entire life does not take less than a week, Zevach." A look of shame flowed through his guilty crimson eyes, a shade of red that Akali daresay she came to love.

_Love? _

"After giving me what was probably the best week of my life, how can you look me in the eye and say that you're leaving?! Even after all we've done for each other, how can you forsake me without a second thought?!" There was not a sound in the dining room, and the tension could be pierced with a needle.

How had a night of cooking spaghetti ultimately ended in such pandemonium?

_I've already abandoned my past and my future before, but why can't I let him go?! _Akali mentally shrieked, hoping that her mind would magically conjure an answer.

A droplet of something dripped onto her arm, catching her attention. Akali lazily gazed down. _A tear?_ The droplet eventually slid down her arm, leaving a shiny trail remained in its wake. Her eyes travelled back up to glance at Zevach, as if she needed permission to cry in front of him. He sat in the same chair, with the same remorseful expression. Sorrow swirled in his irises, perhaps pity too.

She didn't need his pity.

"I'm sorry," she cried out bitterly, pushing herself away from the table dramatically. The air seemed to smother her. "I have to leave." The chair screeched against the tiled floor as Akali ran with the full intention of running from the present once again. All Akali knew how to do was run. Run, to escape the world, just like she did all those years ago.

* * *

She didn't get very far before she was pulled backwards by an incredible force and into the warm arms of Zevach. Despite her thrashes and squirms, his arms encircled her tighter, making her sobs grow louder. Instead of shouting for him to let her go, Akali let him hold her protectively from behind because she knew this would be her closure for his departure.

"I'm sorry." His words rang clear into Akali's ears, but she was too drained from everything to care. Zevach turned her body around to glimpse into her eyes, but she stubbornly kept her stare planted on the floor, that was until his hands caressed her face and forced her to look at him. Bright, teary jade eyes clashed against the lucid carmine ones pupils of Zevach.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, studying Akali's face for any emotion. A new wave of tears cascaded down Akali's pink cheeks. It was only a matter of seconds before she placed her own trembling hands over Zevach's for any semblance of comfort.

"I promise you that I will never leave you," he said, clutching her tightly as if to keep his sanity. All Akali could do at that moment was sob into his strong chest and hope to God that he spoke the truth.

"I will never leave you," he reiterated, "because I never want to see you cry because of me again." To Akali's astonishment, Zevach leaned towards her face and kissed her.

The tears that fell down Akali's face froze midway. Zevach's lips were pleasantly warm, and molded splendidly well against her own. Though she had been kissed before, she hadn't remembered a kiss being this _amazing. _Akali didn't kiss him back because her mind was so overwhelmed by the passion that Zevach poured into the kiss. It seemed to dissipate her energy, and her knees buckled from the intensity. Zevach, a man with purpose, instantaneously moved his hands to her butt and placed her on the dining table without breaking the hungry kiss. Akali's ankles instinctively locked behind Zevach as she felt an increasing need in her core. Her fingers dug into his shirt roughly to deepen the hot kiss, which Zevach happily obliged.

Akali absolutely _died_ when Zevach's tongue erotically licked her lips. She didn't need to be signaled twice as her lips separated by his command. Tasting his tongue was tasting heaven, and Akali was sure she would never be able to get enough of it.

Unfortunately, Akali was forced to end the kiss. Her chest rose and fell dramatically, as did Zevach's, and upon opening her eyes, she realized the very unladylike and compromising position she was in. Embarrassed, Akali quickly unhooked her legs to release him but he didn't budge. She peered into his eyes as if to question why he wasn't leaving, but the look she received made her insides melt. The expression of desire that Zevach wore, the pink hue that dusted the apples of Zevach's cheeks from the kiss, and his sheepish smile was enough to make Akali faint. Not a word was said, but it was the silence that made the moment perfect.

_What just...happened?_ Akali couldn't think straight, and she didn't want to. She didn't want to shatter her temporary perfect fantasy by thinking. Thinking always made moments like these worse.

Her eyes couldn't help but wander around the room awkwardly until they fell upon the plates of sodden spaghetti.

"We should probably finish our dinner," Akali said, pointing to the already cold food.

"That is a splendid idea," Zevach said breathlessly, promptly helping Akali off the table and into her seat. The two resumed masticating the cold, overcooked spaghetti.

* * *

The next morning after that swoon-inducing kiss that made Akali's world halt, the two exchanged brief and awkward pleasantries, both unsure of what to do.

_What do people do after kissing?_

So, the silence continued all the way into lunch, where Zevach was inhaling his Nutella and Akali her ramen. Each second in reality seemed like a minute to Akali, who quietly chomped on her ramen, trying to plan a way to break the silence. Apparently, Zevach had the same thought, because both of them spoke simultaneously.

"You may speak fir-" they continued to say in unison. Throaty chuckles and light giggles filled the dining room, the awkwardness officially disintegrating.

"What were you about to say?" Akali giggled, shoving another strand of ramen into her mouth.

The noodle firmly lodged itself onto her esophagus after he answered with lust, "You look absolutely ravishing today."

A strand of her ramen decided that that moment was the perfect time to lodge itself firmly in Akali's throat, so It took Akali an entire humiliating minute to finally swallow the persistent strand. "Still think you're beautiful," he joked, causing Akali to erupt into giggles.

Once they had both finished their snacks, they started to clear the table. Akali threw out her ramen bowl and Zevach followed by sealing the jar of Nutella. Noticing the heap of dirty dishes in the sink, Akali unwillingly set out to wash the dishes. One by one, the pile lessened until the sink was completely bereft of dishes.

_A job well done_, Akali thought triumphantly as she dried her hands on a nearby towel.

Suddenly, a hand brushed her hair to the side, and a pair of warm lips kissed the back of her neck. Despite her earnest attempts to suppress her moans, a mewl tickled her throat.

"Again so soon?" Akali just barely managed to grit out as Zevach continued to nip, suck, and mark the nape of her neck. The familiar weakness in her knees returned, prompting her to grip the edge of the counter for support until her knuckles turned white. His magic-working fingers slid ever so slightly down to her hips, which he massaged slowly to tease Akali.

_Oh god._

A string of crashes from another room stopped Zevach and his ministrations, much to Akali's displeasure.

Zevach exhaled right above Akali's neck, creating shivers down her spine. "I'll get it," he said. With that, he pushed off from the counter, every source of his warmth abandoning Akali. She let out a heavy sigh.

Zevach re-entered the room with a distraught expression. "Are you okay?" Akali couldn't help but ask. It took her a few seconds to realize he was staring down at something in his hands, an object that looked like a newspaper. As Zevach inched closer to her, Akali's eyes opened wide with horror as she recognized the article about Zed.

_Shit. I thought I threw that out to rot somewhere_.

She watched as Zevach's red eyes darted across the headlines and with each passing second, his face grew more sallow. A disconcerting feeling settled in the bottomless pit of Akali's gut.

_Why is he acting like this?_

"Are you okay?" Akali couldn't help but ask, twiddling her fingers with apprehension

"What is this?" Zevach said quietly, leaving Akali's question unanswered. His voice, although quiet, seemed to scream at her.

"It's nothing important," she replied immediately, trying to avoid the topic of _Zed_. Zevach's nervous red eyes left the newspaper to meet Akali's for a second, but trailed back to the paper to read more.

"This is..." he struggled for words. "This is interesting." Silence ensued as Akali tried to shut out Zed from her mind. Never again would she let him betray her again; now that she was older and wiser, she would never give him the upper hand.

Akali walked to Zevach, slowly grabbing the paper and gently forcing it out of his fingers, and hurled it into a trashcan. Zevach still stared blankly to where the newspaper used to be, so Akali used her fingers to snap noisily in his face.

"Zevach?" He must've finally registered her voice, because he looked up with a lost look in his eye.

Unexpectedly, he stepped forward to tightly lock Akali in a tight hug, burying his face into her hair. Her arms immediately wrapped around his waist protectively, confused as to why he was hugging her like his life depended on it. If she tried to break the hug, Zevach would respond by clinging to her even tighter. It scared Akali to see Zevach like this, because she had never seen him so scared and vulnerable before, so she let him stay in her embrace until he finally released her.

"Sorry," was all he could say.

"It's alright," Akali responded, giving him a quick peck on his forehead.

They resumed their daily activities, but Akali couldn't shake off the foreboding feeling that something formidable was approaching.

* * *

_"It seems like he's starting to remember," an unknown voice says from the shadows. "It's time to initiate chaos."_

_"Let them try to stop me."_

* * *

Akali shot up from her bed for the fifth time that night, sweating nervously even though it was freezing outside.

She didn't know why she kept waking up, but she knew that somewhere out in the darkness, someone was watching her every move.

* * *

**Yeee. It was about time I uploaded a new chapter, but the moments where I can just sit down and write for hours are scarce.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are appreciated.  
**

**Have a great apple and sandwich!**


	7. Chapter 7: I Believe

The early morning sun's light filtered through the blinds, shining directly upon Akali and successfully awakening her. She rose from her bed, still remembering the sensation that someone was watching her intently. Usually, she would've worried, but her stalker hadn't yet done anything to make his presence known; perhaps the stalker didn't know that Akali was aware of his existence. Until the creeper made his move, she would continue to enjoy her time with Zevach.

_Oh no._ It suddenly occurred to Akali that her week of vacation was coming to an end. It was the sixth day that Akali had not gone to the hospital, the sixth day she had not talked to Kennen or Shen. Perhaps she would give them a call later to see how they were faring.

Little did she know that they would come to her.

* * *

An erratic array of knocks disturbed Akali from her work with cleaning and tidying the house.

"Zevach! Would you open the door for me?!" she called out, and soon after, she heard the door swing open. Akali continued to finish up the bathroom until she realized that Zevach hadn't called her down yet. She tried her best not to shout his name with alarm as she raced out to the front door, only to wish she had stayed in the bathroom.

Both Shen and Kennen sat on her couch silently across from Zevach, who immediately shot her a panicked look upon her entrance. Shen and Kennen also stared at Akali, then Zevach, then back at Akali with questioning looks.

Akali tried her best to mask her inward panic by plastering on a bright smile and tried to engage them in a friendly conversation. Ignoring Shen and his misguided distrust for Zevach, she spoke anyway.

"So," she began awkwardly, "what were you guys discussing before I interrupted?" She didn't need them to reply because the three steely glares she received told her everything.

Despite her inner instinct screaming for her to say no, she said, "Sure. Let's go to the kitchen." Akali prayed silently that Zevach would be fine alone with the little ball of energy that was Kennen.

"Is there something you'd like to discuss with me?" Akali said sweetly, memories of the disastrous phone call she had with Shen a week ago resurfacing.

"Is that the man you took under your wing?" His passive expression made it hard to judge whether he was still peeved by the whole "bring a bleeding stranger with amnesia home" situation, and needless to say, Akali barely managed to suppress the tremors that threatened to make their presences known.

"Yes?" she said in a questioning tone, averting her gaze to the pleasantly startling sight of Zevach tossing Kennen into the air in a playful manner.

"What do you think of him?" she asked hesitantly. Was he still under the unwarranted assumption that Zevach was treacherous and dangerous?

Shen's prolonged silence frightened the living Hell out of Akali, but she kept her eyes firmly glued to the scene before her.

"He seems..."

Akali stopped breathing. _Strange? Peculiar? Evil?_

"Well, my mind currently has no words to offer me, but-"

Oh god. Here was the but. Why was there always a but?

"He doesn't seem like a terrible person." Akali let out a conspicuous sigh of relief, feeling lightheaded as all the carbon dioxide left her brain.

"Do...do you like him?" Akali asked, knowing she was treading on dangerous waters. Shen remained impassive as he answered.

"I do not know him well enough to answer that question, but I certainly know how much affection he has for you."

A chain of coughs left Akali breathless before she could let out a whispering scream. "What?! How can you possibly know about-" She didn't have a chance to finish before Shen cut her off.

"I see the way you two look at each other, and let's just say that I know for a fact that your relationship is anything but platonic."

Amazement couldn't even begin to describe Akali's reaction to his statement. It had taken Shen less than five minutes to realize their true relationship.

_Perhaps that's why he was the Eye of the Twilight._

"I'm sorry for reprimanding you the other night," came Shen's abrupt apology. "It was wrong of me to demand anything from you, especially since you were so disheveled from the news concerning Zed." Both of them failed to notice Zevach's ears perk up at the mention of Zed's name.

"For that, I sincerely apologize on my account. I cannot help this overwhelming urge to protect you from everything, despite the fact that I know you are more than capable of protecting yourself." Shen offered a small but friendly smile.

"Thank you for your apology, Shen. I really appreciate it. I too admit that I was rash in my decision to bring a stranger home, but everything is alright as of now." To add a little emphasis she pointed her head towards Zevach and Kennen, both of whom were laughing so hard about something that they fell to the ground.

"He told me his name is Zevach." Akali gave a curt nod. "Why don't you formally introduce us?"

* * *

_Last day_, Akali thought sadly, rising from her bed. It was nine in the morning, contrary to her usual 'waking up' time at eight.

Akali made her way downstairs, expecting to find Zevach drooling over the Nutella jars, but to her surprise, there was no one in the house but her.

"Zevach?" she called out, only to receive no reply. Her mind imagined any and every horrible thing that could potentially happen to him, but her worries melted away when she entered the kitchen to see a little note on the table addressed to her on top of a box.

_A little something to compensate for everything. Be ready by five._ At the bottom right hand corner, Zevach's name was scribbled in cursive. Delicately, she put the note back on the table and excitedly opened the box. A beautiful sleek black dress welcomed Akali as she grabbed it and laid it against her frame. She didn't need to try it on to know that it fit perfectly, and she didn't question how he knew her exact size, but there was one thing she couldn't figure out.

_Where'd he get the money?_

Akali made a seemingly wise decision to not dwell on the thought and zipped back to her room to assemble the perfect outfit, even though she hadn't the faintest idea of where Zevach was taking her.

At five o'clock sharp, Zevach arrived at her doorstep, where Akali herself, adorned in beautiful jewelry and light make up, was waiting.

"Wow," was all she could say as she let the breathtaking and drop dead gorgeous sight of Zevach in a refined suit sink into her mind. Her mind in that exact moment could not form coherent sentences much less words, but fortunately Zevach was also preoccupied with ogling Akali in her new dress. Akali took this time to put on her down coat to combat the cold temperatures of the city.

"Have you any idea of how beautiful you look?" he finally said after four minutes of just staring at her, and swiftly offered his arm to her, which Akali gladly accepted.

"Unfortunately, I was unable to find any mode of transportation to get us to the place we're going tonight, but it is within walking distance," Zevach informed her as she locked the door. "Do you mind?"

In response to his question, she peeked out a foot from under her long dress to reveal her most comfortable pair of booties. "I believe I am set for tonight," she mused.

They leisurely walked arm-in-arm into the bustling down town area. The lights from the restaurants seemed to light up the wintery skies of gray, and Akali's eyes closed with contentment to cherish the moment.

It was after Zevach suddenly stopped that Akali opened her eyes, nearly jumping from surprise and mirth. "You made reservations for 'La Vie En Rose'?!" she nearly screamed, unable to contain her excitement. "You are the best person ever." Without thinking, she leaned onto the tips of her toes and gave Zevach a kiss on the lips to which Zevach gladly returned.

Like a proper gentleman, Zevach took her by the hand and led her into the elegant and very famous French restaurant, which just so happened to be Akali's favorite restaurant. A young waiter greeted them politely and showed them to their table right next to the window of the second floor, giving a panoramic sight of the bright city.

After they had decided upon their three course meal, Zevach was attacked by an onslaught of questions.

"How did you pay for my dress and all of this?! How did you know that this is my favorite restaurant?! How did you..." Akali interrogated him like he was a criminal, but Zevach found the situation amusing.

"Let's just say that I have many things I owe to your dear friends, Shen and Kennen," he explained. "I asked if they would be willing to help me with this entire endeavor to repay you, and thankfully they agreed. Without them, we would not be here tonight." Raising his glass filled modestly with red wine to the ceiling, he toasted, "To your friends who helped me make this night dedicated to you happen." Akali was at a loss of words, so she followed Zevach's actions, raising her own glass and gently tapping the rims together.

"I cannot thank you enough for doing this for me," Akali said, silently thanking Shen and Kennen for their major contribution. "This is a great way to spend my last day of staying home," she exclaimed, right before their dinners were served.

The meals that she ordered included spaghetti, shank bourguignon, pot-au-feu, and chocolate soufflés, and Akali could safely say that it was one of the best meals that she had enjoyed.

An unfamiliar sensation of true elation settled in Akali, and it had stayed for the entire duration of the meal. Were her prayers and wishes of happiness finally granted?

She would soon come to realize that this was just the calm before the storm.

Somehow, the pair had managed to walk home unscathed after two bottles of wine. The glowing radiance from a slightly drunk Akali burned brighter than any moon could, at least from the eyes of Zevach.

"I enjoyed this evening with you, Zevach," her words becoming increasingly hard to understand after another as she tripped into her house.

"I did too." Zevach stripped off his winter jacket, helping a now violently hiccupping Akali with her own.

Both expected the inevitable silence (despite her hiccups) as they stumbled to her couch.

Akali gathered the parts of her mind that weren't drunk from the very strong wine to drawl out, "Thank you again."

It then occurred to Akali how strikingly attractive and sexy Zevach looked, with his slightly tinted cheeks, messy hair, and partly unbuttoned tux. In fact, if a week ago someone had told her that a mighty fine man with exhilarating red eyes would be sitting next to her on her couch, she'd have laughed and dismissed the notion.

The wine, which she decided was most definitely to blame for her following actions, made reality seem unreal, like she was dreaming. It was the fact that Akali had thought that she was in a dream that prompted her to state her exact thought, causing Zevach's cheeks to flush an even darker shade of red.

"You look very sexy." Words spilled out of Akali's mouth uncontrollably, but in her drunken state, she did not care that she was making a complete fool of herself. Akali observed the way Zevach's eyes screwed shut, before low feral groans ripped through his throat.

"You have no idea, do you?" The slight tilt in her head answered his question.

He flexed his pointer toward her, signaling Akali to come close enough so that he could speak in her ear.

"Do you know how long I've wished to throw you onto the couch and fuck you until you beg me to stop?"

Why couldn't she breathe?

"Each time, I've had to restrain myself from actually taking action because I know you are not ready."

Oh yeah, because what was probably the most gorgeous man she had seen in her life had just admitted that he wanted to have sex with her. Akali blessed her sobering mind for choosing to sit on the couch because after that confession, Akali couldn't even sit up straight.

"What if..." Her voice trailed off shyly, her own mind not believing what she was going to say next. Zevach's eyebrows tilted up, encouraging her to finish her sentence.

"What if I am ready?" she stated boldly, willing her cheeks to not turn into a tomato red.

Zevach scoffed. "Then you are incredibly foolish to sleep with a man you only just met a week ago."

Her lips shaped into a disappointed frown because she knew he was right. She had just met the guy a week ago for Heaven's sake! How could she even propose such an absurd idea?!

Her lips answered for her. "I don't care." The alcohol in her system had long since left due to the intensity of the moment, so Akali knew this was not drunken babble.

"What?" Zevach said disbelievingly.

"Even though we've only just met each other and have barely kissed, I feel like I know you," Akali confessed, "and it's very hard to explain, but this feels right."

An incredulous pair of eyes stared at her, like she was crazy, so she clambered off of the couch to escape the embarrassment.

"Never mind," Akali blurted out, turning her back to Zevach to escape the premises. "Sorry, I'm extremely-_ eek_!" She let out a startled scream as she was pulled back onto Zevach's lap to face him. Something hard poked at her bottom, and her years as a nurse informed her what it was. The lust in his blood-red eyes made Akali gulp silently.

"If you do this, there's no going back." His message and need for her was clear in his stony voice.

"Am I stupid to say that I trust you?"

"Yes," he answered before crashing his lips against her own.

* * *

_"He is ready."_

* * *

Akali could barely breathe as all of Zevach overwhelmed her senses: the taste of the wine they had earlier, the touch of his fingers on her hips, the sounds of his animalistic growls. Akali didn't even notice that Zevach had brought them to her room because she was so busy with kissing every scar on his chiseled body. She loved his passion as he aggressively kissed her, and she didn't think she'd ever stop loving him as their tongues wrestled for dominance. Zevach continued to shed her dress off, followed by her under garments as he greedily nipped, sucked, and probed every crevice of her body like a man starved.

She remembered every detail of that night, like the ecstasy she experienced when his tongue slithered along her region, or the sharp but fleeting pain she felt as he entered her. She even laughed as she saw the shock on Zevach's face when he realized that she had given him her virginity. And after all the pain and pleasure she felt that Zevach caused had passed, Akali laid on her bed with Zevach's strong arms draped protectively over her naked form.

It was wise that she cherished every minute of her great time with Zevach, because the very next morning after that night of ardor, Hell broke loose.

* * *

**Ta-da! I've been writing consistently for at least two hours a day (though my chapters are still very short but I'm still working to improve on the length), just brainstorming what to write and how to write the new chapters. The chapters from here on out are going to be very eventful. ;) Honestly, I'm quite eager to write the new chapters, especially since there is an upcoming break from school (thank god).**

**Long A/N aside, hope you guys liked reading this chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated. :)**

**Have a great sunshiny day! c; **


	8. Chapter 8: Chasing Pavements

_Someone's here._

That was the first thought on Akali's mind as the presence of an intruder jolted her from her serene slumber. Unnerved by her tingling assassin senses her eyes fell upon Zevach's face, who was still peacefully sleeping. Akali, after she had managed to break Zevach's grip on her waist, peeled off the sheets from her sticky body and randomly put on clothes that she had thrown into her closet.

With each passing second, she could feel the intruder approaching her bedroom, and Akali silenced herself to the point where she could hear her own frantic heartbeat.

The shadows beneath the door came to a halt, and Akali fixed her body to pounce on the stranger. The knob turned ever so slowly, and the door creaked open. Before the intruder could respond, Akali lunged at the obscured figure and tackled the person head first, knocking both of them down onto the floor.

Opting to reveal the person's identity before pummeling him to the ground, Akali's fingers gripped the hood of the stranger and began to lift it up, but something battered Akali's stomach savagely, flinging her body down the stairs as if she was a feather. However, Akali managed to skillfully compose herself midair and landed on her feet. Her eyes narrowed to the shadow of the person who now stood tall and erect at the top of the stairwell.

"State your business, stranger, or leave." Akali hoped that her stony voice would intimidate the trespasser, but the person stayed rooted to the ground. Akali's eyes scanned the person's every moment, cautiously seeking out any signs of incoming attacks. Her predictions proved to be correct because not a few seconds later, the infiltrator hurled an unknown object to Akali.

Akali's head snapped to the thing that had nearly killed her. It was a dark purple sphere.

She clenched her fists upon realizing who the invader was, and looked back to the peak of the stairwell. The person slowly pulled back the hood, confirming Akali's suspicions. It was rather difficult to erase such a repulsive and haunting guise from her mind.

"Hello, Akali." Syndra's voice echoed in her mind, and she wanted nothing more than to erase Syndra permanently.

"Let's skip the pleasantries, shrew, and state your business." Syndra's sneer immediately flipped into a scowl, but she remained silent to annoy Akali.

She puffed out in annoyance, trying to prevent herself from lashing out at Syndra. "You have a minute before I lose control and kill you, you wench." Despite the seriousness of the entire situation, a tiny voice applauded Akali for coming up with such great disparaging comments. "What business do you have with me?"

Her eyes intently watched Syndra as she stripped off her cloak completely, revealing her deep eminence colored outfit. "Who said my business was with you?" The hint of derision in Syndra's voice evoked a murderous feeling within Akali, one that made her want to shred Syndra's throat.

But Akali then became conscious of the fact that the only person living in her house was Zevach. Disorientation and bewilderment occupied her mind as she struggled to deduce what kind of connection Zevach could possibly have with Syndra, yet Akali feared the answer.

"Who are you here for then?" Akali asked hesitantly, and each word seemed to strangulate her insides.

The smile that Syndra flashed Akali made her feel lightheaded and dizzy. "I think it's only fair that he tell you." Her head turned to the direction of her bedroom, where another figure emerged from the shadows. Her heart stopped as a now clothed Zevach walked to Syndra's side.

"I see you've bedded her," Syndra noted.

"Ze-Zevach?" Akali whispered painfully, foolishly trying to ignore Syndra's statement.

What's going on? she cried out mentally, her confusion and unease nearly willing her to tears.

A derisive and malevolent bark of laughter escaped Syndra's dark lips. "You've been letting that thing call you Zevach?! Ha!" Her inconsonant cackles made Akali wince uncontrollably, but she held her stare firmly on Zevach.

"What is she talking about?" Akali asked, as the person she had cared for and come to known became a stranger with each second that ticked by.

"Tell this imbecile who you are."

Akali's heart clenched involuntarily as she awaited his answer. After looking down through the entire encounter, Zed, who had been previously staring at the floor, looked down at her to meet her gaze with sad and regretful eyes. It was a look that she was all too familiar with.

"_I am Zed_."

It was like her soul was ripped out of her body.

_Zed...?_

She had brought home_ Zed_?! Of all people to find bleeding to death in an alley, she found _Zed? _She had even kissed him, and done many other unladylike things with the one person she wholeheartedly hated. After so many years of trying to futilely trying to eradicate his existence from Akali's mind, she had unknowingly welcomed him back into her life. All the memories she shared with the supposed innocent man she had saved came crashing down on her, and it made her want to vomit knowing that she had done everything with the heartless killer that was Zed.

A devastated Akali collapsed to her knees, tilting her head down to obscure her tears. She was lost, so very, very lost. If there was anything Akali hated, it was being powerless.

"I see you two have much to discuss. I'll leave you two alone."

Akali bitterly laughed at Syndra's spurious consideration as Syndra walked down the stairs past Akali to leave, but not before shooting her a smug look. The familiar click of the front door closing resounded through the house.

"H-how could you?" Akali whispered between her sobs.

Instead of answering her question, Zev- Zed asked his own. "Do you hate me?" His words penetrated through her soul, making her body quake, and to Akali, it felt as if she had dreamt the entire situation.

Akali didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes," her lips said with her lips, but not her mind.

The remnants of her tears fell down her cheek as she stopped to think about her answer. Did she really hate Zed, after that incredible week he had given her?

_He had amnesia_, her conscious replied disdainfully. _He's still the sadistic shadow he's always been._

Yet, why wasn't he trying to kill her, if he truly was the evil murderer her mind had described him as? More so, of all questions to ask why had he asked that one? Perhaps he _wasn't_ evil anymore.

_Wishful thinking_.

The sound of floorboards creaking under heavy weight snapped Akali back into reality, and she looked up to the stairwell and at Zed's back as he walked away from her.

"No." She cried out desperately, wishing that he would stay. Her pleas were not heard.

"I don't," she said again for emphasis. Gathering her strength, Akali wobbly stood onto her feet and waited for Zed to say something, _anything._

All he did was continue to walk away from her as if she didn't exist, abandoning her for the second time. Despite her logical side commanding her to remain silent and watch the murderer leave, Akali's instincts made her call out to Zed desperately in hopes that he would stay.

"You said you would never leave me." Her words effectively stopped Zed in his tracks, but he didn't turn around to meet Akali's eyes. Had he turned around, Akali was sure she would completely wither, both mentally and physically.

"_People lie_."

Just like that, it came crashing down on Akali that everything really had been a _lie._ Her body, mind, and soul unable to cope with her pain, Akali's world faded into a desolate, black nothingness of despair.

* * *

A month had passed since Zed had skipped off with Syndra, a whole grievous, dreadful month spent crying her eyes out and lamenting her loss. She had wholeheartedly tried her hardest to hate Zed, the source of all her misery throughout her life, but she couldn't. Now that Zed remembered his past ruthless, evil, and murderous self, the person that Akali loathed fervidly, reason stated that she should've fell out of love, so to speak.

Yet… it startled Akali how such a villainous and vile creature could possess an affectionate and humane side, one that she had witnessed, experienced, and named "Zevach." Even in the unlikely event that Zed returned to her, would she be able to see the lively and spirited "Zevach" within Zed, or would the man she loved disappear from this world as if he had been a figment of Akali's imagination?

The next five months were occupied with the frequent visits of Shen and Kennen, both of whom obstinately stated, "I should've known!" Akali was smothered with gifts given in attempts to divert her mind from the catastrophe of Zed, whose current location was unknown. Akali had often found herself wondering where he had scampered off to, and whether he missed her much as she missed him. Then, she'd curse at herself for thinking about him day and night.

Shen and Kennen felt no need to otherwise intrude any further into her life, until one day, they witnessed Akali's incapability of opening a Nutella jar without drowning in her own tears.

"I think the best thing to do is to forget all about this chapter in your life," Shen had suggested to her, showing his caring and sympathetic side. "It'll be good for all of us." Kennen had seized the opportunity by suggesting that Akali go back to the hospital.

"You know, Amumu has been incessantly crying because he misses you. Going to the hospital will not only distract yourself, but also brighten your patients' days, like Amumu." Kennen lovingly put his furry paw over Akali's human counterpart. "The hospital needs you just as much as you need it."

Kennen watched the skepticism take form upon Akali's face, so he added, "Trust me."

And so, Akali embarked on a long journey to heal her untenable wounds.

* * *

"Yes, Shen, I am on my way to the hospital right now," Akali spoke into her phone, struggling to keep her bag firmly placed on her shoulder. "I promised you that I would come to the hospital, and I _am_. Anyway, I can't walk and talk at the same time. I'll talk to you when I arrive." After they bid farewell to each other over the phone, Akali proceeded to walk to the hospital in anticipation.

The sun beamed warmly upon Akali's skin, and she inhaled deeply to memorize the fleeting season of spring. The weather had been kind enough and allowed Akali to wear a golden yellow sundress, just bright enough to enhance Akali's beauty without offending the eyes.

Within a little over six months, Akali had went from being given the best time of her life to being stripped of it within a week to sobbing over her arch enemy to returning to the hospital as if nothing had happened. No matter what anyone said, she at least deserved an award for emotionally enduring everything. To think that just the previous day, Akali had been sulking and dreading about going back to work, but now she experienced pleasant tremors of excitement to finally visit her second home.

Despite her ephemeral happiness, Akali wished nothing more than to forget about her time with _Zed_. Maybe this time, he would permanently keep out of her life. _Twice_ she had had to deal with his destruction; Akali would ensure there would be no third time.

Roughly a half hour later, Akali arrived at the hospital, where Shen and Kennen serendipitously happened to be taking their lunch breaks. They welcomed her back to the hospital with hearty hugs. At the sight of Akali, Amumu wept a puddle of tears and tossed a bandage at her, propelling him forward to give her a mummy hug.

"A-Akali!" Amumu stopped to stutter between his tears. "E-even though you give me shots that hurt, I m-missed you!" he cried before burying his face into the crook of her neck. Akali gave him light pats on the back to soothe the sad mummy, offering him a smile of consolation.

_It's good to be back._

Akali's work at the hospital slowly eased its way back into her life, keeping her occupied every weekday. Seemingly, everything in her life fell back to place where it should have been. Zed had done a superb job of avoiding Akali and simultaneously, the law.

It was over for now. As life had it, Akali was able to live the next few weeks of her life without worry. However, a foreboding feeling crossed Akali's mind. The frightening thing was that it stayed with her through the weeks, which turned into months.

Akali knew what her instincts were telling her. She was being watched, yet again.

* * *

A sigh escaped Akali's lips as she glanced at her watch. It was nearing afternoon, her lunch break, and Akali usually ate with Shen and Kennen. Grabbing her lunch eagerly, Akali barely restrained herself from running to the cafeteria like a lunatic. Instead of seeing a dynamic Kennen and a passive Shen, both of them seemed…disheveled, though it was unclear about what. Judging by the somber looks on their faces, something terrible must have occurred.

"Akali," Shen said with a stolid expression as Akali approached his table. Akali was familiar with that expression, the same one he had worn when he warned her about Zed.

"Are you guys alright? You two are awfully wan. It's quite frightening," she joked, trying to lighten the mood, but was greeted with two unappreciative stares. The grave expression that Shen donned caused Akali to frown in a similar fashion. When Shen refused to answer her question, her eyes traveled to the yordle for more information. "What happened?"

"He's back, Akali." Her stare was fixed upon Kennen at his reply, making the yordle cower back in nervousness.

"_What?"_ Her parched throat refused to swallow her hysteria. "Pardon?"

"Zed recently made an appearance at the library of the Lotus Temple," Shen answered for Kennen, his face growing paler. Her heart rate elevated drastically as his words took their time to sink in, and suddenly, the warm spring weather made her feel frostbitten. Akali's knees buckled unexpectedly, causing her to crumble into a nearby chair.

_How can that be?_ The library of the Lotus Temple housed hundreds of thousands of ancient written pieces, from fables to classic poetry. There were no books in that library that could even remotely tickle his fancy, especially one owned by a temple, and Akali doubted he had a sudden hankering for a classic novella.

"Are the monks a-alright?" At a loss of questions, Akali couldn't help but wonder about the damage Zed had inflicted. "Did he kill anyone?!" He was back to his murderous self.

"Thankfully, he showed some restraint," was Shen's terse reply. "No one was hurt, just a little shaken." Before Akali could query more about Zed's motives, Shen correctly predicted her questions and continued. "He was in and out of the library within five minutes. The monks at standing nearby witnessed him holding a decrepit book as he escaped, but because of the vast number of books in the library, they're still trying to figure out which one he pilfered."

What affiliation did Zed have the Lotus Temple? Zed wasn't one to be very fond of temples, as made evident by the previous ransack of the Kinkou Temple. Syndra especially loathed temples due to her own twisted past, so the only logical explanation to go back was to seek revenge. But why would they return to the library of a relatively remote temple? The pieces didn't fit into place.

Akali was so busy forming hypotheses that she failed to notice the pang of jealousy at the mention of Syndra, or perhaps she did realize but chose to ignore it.

The rest of her day at the hospital flew by quickly, and Akali huffily cursed the hours for not giving her more time to think. She cursed everyone who rudely thumped her shoulder as she sauntered on the sidewalk. She cursed the cracks for blemishing the concrete as she stepped over each one. She vehemently swore at the cruel irony of the world for bringing Zed into her life not once, but twice. As she neared the alley where she encountered "Zevach," she wasn't hesitant to turn her head the other way and zip past it.

Her dark home came into her view, breaking her thoughts of profanity. She hastily walked up to her front door, jammed the key into the lock, and slammed the door open, impatient to face plant her pillow. But the feeling that had nagged her for weeks on end, the sensation that she was being watched, grew stronger as Akali entered the house. Everything seemed to be normal, yet everything seemed out of place.

Was Syndra back for round two? Ferocious growls left Akali's throat as she contemplated what to do to Syndra. This time she would give her a swift uppercut to the jaw, and maybe throw in a few kicks and punches here and the-

Her brain emptied itself of all thoughts as a creak was brought to her attention. Her ears shifted in an effort to locate the source of the sound, and her pupils dilated in response to her concentrated senses. Someone was definitely here with her, but Akali couldn't decipher whether the intruder was evil or benevolent. Reflecting upon the patterns of the intruders, there were only two choices of who the person could be. If it wasn't Syndra then it was-

An arm wrapped around her waist securely, and a gloved hand muffled any sounds or cries that she could make. Hoping that the attacker was indeed who she suspected, Akali swiftly kicked her heel up with the intention of kicking him in the genitals, but the assailant moved quicker and absorbed her kick with his own leg.

"_Mmph!" _ Akali flailed in the iron clamp of the intruder, and tried to gain some leeway to escape from the grip, but the trespasser knew what he was doing.

The person shifted from behind her, leaning forward to her ear. "_Heh_." Her now glassy eyes widened in terror as Akali registered Zed's laugh, and suddenly, her body refused to retaliate. "Miss me, _dear_?" His voice was brimmed with sarcasm and condescension, and just imagining the smug gleam in Zed's eyes riled up Akali.

Akali's body quickly resumed its thrashing against Zed, but he didn't budge. An undeterminable amount of time passed by, and her resolve to escape died as instantly as it came. "If you'll be a good girl, I might just let you talk." Akali's throat produced a few feral snarls before deciding to give in to his deal. "Good girl," Zed drawled out patronizingly, and removed his hand from her mouth.

She didn't speak, which regrettably opened her up to more of Zed's comments. "What, now that you're given a chance to talk, you won't speak?"

"Why the _hell _are you here? Haven't you caused enough misery in my life?" Akali hissed at him.

_Oh god. Don't flash back. Please for the love of god don't flash back_. She commanded her mind not to think about that one fateful week. _Don't, don't, don't._

"I'm just dropping in to see how my little _Akali_ is doing," he cooed, inducing an urge to vomit. Akali acknowledged that she liked him better the last time he was here, when he was capable of feeling remorse.

"I'm not _yours_, so get the hell away from me," she shrilled out, offering a few more pathetic lashes before fully agreeing that she was indeed stuck in his demented embrace.

"Oh, but you _are_," Zed breathed into her ear slowly, making sure Akali understood every word. "I've been watching you for a while, and I find you absolutely _exquisite_. Did you miss me in the months I was gone?"

"Of course I haven't," Akali replied unconvincingly, altogether ignoring his admittance of watching her. His derisive laughter entered her ear again at her own deception.

Zed uttered in response, "I'd be more convinced if you hadn't spent six months bed ridden with sorrow." Akali's cheeks blazed with degradation as she tried to imagine what else he had seen. Had he seen her cry over the Nutella jars? A list of all the embarrassing things she had done within six months appeared in her mind, and Akali would've fainted from embarrassment if her arch nemesis didn't have a death grip on her.

Her trance was disrupted as he sadly continued to speak. "I must say, Akali, that I do in fact miss _this_." To add meaning behind his words, his burly hands began to audaciously move up and down every curve of her body.

Akali's eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head as she remembered his gentle touches, and couldn't bring herself to stop him. It wasn't until his hands reached the hem of her pants that she spoke, "Don't touch me, you bastard."

"Back to name calling, are we?" She didn't miss the amused tone in his voice as his hands nestled onto her voluptuous hips.

Akali knew she should have felt repulsed. Mentally, she was disgusted with herself for fraternizing with the enemy, but he had that possession over her mind, body, and soul. "I know that you want me to stay with you, for me to hold you, and say that 'I love you,' isn't that right?" Her teeth clenched together with a refusal to answer, annoying Zed with her obstinacy. Determined to elicit some type of reaction from her, Zed stripped off his gloves and with his bare fingertips, lightly trailed Akali's toned body again.

"Stop-" The influx of pleasure from just his touch was enough to mute Akali. Unwilling to give him satisfaction, Akali closed her eyes and leaned her head back against Zed's shoulder.

_Oh my god_. His fingers made her feel euphoria, made her feel _high_, and despite her conscience screaming at her to deny his touch, Akali foolishly welcomed it.

"Stop staying silent," he grit out, vexed. The torture to stay quiet grew more difficult as he continued his ministrations. God, how Akali had missed him.

His fingers reached to lift up the bottom of her shirt, and it did, in fact, elicit a response from Akali. Her hands reflexively gripped his wrists tightly, and summoning all of the strength she had, Akali flipped him over her and onto the floor. Now that Zed was lying in front of her, Akali seized the opportunity to clear her mind (and also shamelessly ogle his body).

"No mask?" Akali jeered as she saw his bare face, trying to erase her mind of the extremely gratifying moments before. Zed laid on the ground instead of getting up, arousing suspicion in Akali.

"I'm going to ask you one more time before I hurt you," Akali said. "Why are you here?"

The smile she received peeved her. "I'm here to retrieve you." Akali's hazel eyes narrowed at the figure lying before her. "Why are you here for me?" With all her concentration focused on Zed, Akali failed to perceive the shadow behind her.

"Didn't I tell you all those years ago?" He laughed again.

"I'm here to break you," was all she heard before Zed jumped to the shadow behind Akali and knocked her unconscious.

* * *

**Sorry guys for not uploading for a reaaaaaally long time, but I've been incredibly busy with school and just life in general. whoot... Honestly with so much work to do and little free time to myself, I've begun to value those moments where I can just sit down and write for two hours straight. #blessed  
**

**If you guys want me to add more to each chapter instead of the typical 2k-3k word chapter (even though this one is almost 4k words [self congratulatory pat on the back]), just let me know, but the downside to that is even longer update wait times.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you see any mistakes, post a review, as it does help improve upon this story. **

**Have a sunshiny day. ;D**


End file.
